Summary
Body roundness index (BRI) is a new anthropometric index developed to predict both body fat and the percentage of visceral adipose tissue. Our aim was to investigate whether BRI is superior ...to traditional anthropometric indices in predicting metabolic syndrome (MetS). This systematic review and meta‐analysis was conducted using Pubmed, Scopus and Web of Sciences databases. The estimated pooled areas under curve (AUCs) for BRI predicting MetS was higher than body mass index (BMI), waist‐to‐hip ratio (WHR), body shape index (ABSI) and body adiposity index (BAI), similar to waist circumference (WC) and lower than waist‐to‐height ratio (WHtR). However, the difference between BRI and BMI, WC and WHtR predicting MetS was statistically non‐significant. Similar results were found with the summary receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC‐SROC). In addition, the non‐Chinese population had pooled AUCs greater than the Chinese population for all indices. Pooled ORs showed that BRI is associated with an increased MetS risk. In conclusion, BRI had good discriminatory power for MetS in adults of both sexes from diverse populations (AUC > 0.7; AUC‐SROC>0.7). However, WC and WHtR offer the best performance when screening for MetS, and non‐significant differences were found with BRI. In contrast, BRI was superior to BMI, WHR, ABSI and BAI in predicting MetS.
Introduction: New anthropometric indices have been developed as an alternative to body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) to assess body mass and visceral fat. Asymptomatic hyperuricemia ...is considered an independent cardiovascular risk factor. Currently, little is known about the relationship between asymptomatic hyperuricemia and several new anthropometric indices. This study aimed to assess the association between the presence of asymptomatic hyperuricemia and anthropometric indices, both novel and traditional. Methods: This study analyzed 1094 Spanish subjects who consecutively visited the cardiovascular risk consultation of the University Hospital San Pedro de Alcántara of Cáceres, Spain, between June 2021 and September 2022. Anthropometric measures, including traditional and novel indices, were determined. The asymptomatic hyperuricemia group was defined according to serum uric acid levels. Results: All the anthropometric indices studied, including new and traditional, were significantly greater among patients with asymptomatic hyperuricemia, except for WWI. In multiple linear regression analysis, serum uric acid levels were significantly correlated with BMI, WHR, WHtR, AVI, BAI, BRI, CUN-BAE, and WWI but not ABSI or CI. In the univariate analysis, all indices were associated with asymptomatic hyperuricemia (p < 0.05); however, only WHtR (adjusted OR: 2.93; 95% CI: 1.03–8.37; p = 0.044), AVI (adjusted OR: 1.46; 95% CI: 1.04–2.04; p = 0.026), and BRI (adjusted OR: 1.66; 95% CI: 1.19–2.32; p = 0.003) were significantly associated in multivariate analysis. Finally, WHtR, AVI, and BRI provided the largest AUCs. Conclusions: Our findings showed that WHtR, AVI, and BRI were independently positively associated with asymptomatic hyperuricemia and could be good predictors.
Different factors may contribute to the development of osteopenia or osteoporosis. Fatty acids are key nutrients for health, and a number of studies have reported an association between bone mineral ...density (BMD) and fatty acid intake. We aimed to investigate the relationships between serum levels of different fatty acids and bone parameters determined by quantitative bone ultrasound (QUS), peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT), and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in a sample of Spanish postmenopausal women. We enrolled a total of 301 postmenopausal women (median age 59 years; interquartile range (IQR) 7) in this study. All participants underwent full densitometric screening, including calcaneal quantitative ultrasound (QUS), peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT), and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), as well as plasma fatty acid measurement. After adjustment for potential confounders, plasma
-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) levels correlated with BMD in the spine (r = 0.150;
= 0.014) and femoral neck (r = 0.143;
= 0.019). By multiple linear regression, an independent statistically significant positive relationship was observed between BMD in the spine and BMI (β = 0.288;
= 0.001) as well as total plasma
-3 PUFAs (β = 0.155;
= 0.009). The plasma
-3 PUFA level was also a significant and positive predictor of BMD at the femoral neck (β = 0.146;
= 0.009). Independent risk factors for low BMD (T-score ≤ 1) were determined by logistic regression analysis, and a relatively high level of plasma
-3 PUFAs (OR = 0.751; 95% CI 0.587-0.960,
= 0.022) was identified as a protective factor against low bone mass. In this single-center sample of Spanish postmenopausal women, we reported a significant positive and statistically independent association between BMD and plasma levels of
-3 PUFAs.
The Mediterranean diet (MD) has been associated with an improvement in health and an increase in longevity. Certain components of a MD can play a role in the prevention of osteoporosis and/or hip ...fracture. We investigated the association between the degree of adherence to a MD and bone mineral density (BMD) measured in several bone areas in a population of Spanish premenopausal women. We analyzed 442 premenopausal women aged 42.73 ± 6.67 years. Bone measurements were obtained using quantitative bone ultrasound (QUS) for the phalanx, dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) for the lumbar spine, Ward's triangle, trochanter, and hip, and peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) for the non-dominant distal forearm. MD adherence was evaluated with MedDietScore. Amplitude-dependent speed of sound (Ad-SOS), BMD, and volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD) (total, trabecular, and cortical bone density) were positively associated with higher adherence to the MD (
< 0.05). Adherence to the MD was significantly associated with QUS, BMD, and vBMD in multiple regression analysis; QUS: Ad-SOS (m/s) β = 0.099 (
= 0.030); BMD (g/cm²): femur neck β = 0.114 (
= 0.010) and Ward's triangle β = 0.125 (
= 0.006); vBMD (mg/cm³): total density β = 0.119 (
= 0.036), trabecular density β = 0.120 (
= 0.035), and cortical density β = 0.122 (
= 0.032). We conclude that the adherence to the MD was positively associated with better bone mass in Spanish premenopausal women.
(1) Background: During the COVID-19 lockdown, high rates of physical inactivity and dietary imbalances were reported in both adults and adolescents. Physical separation and isolation not only have a ...significant impact on the performance of physical activity but also affect people’s lives, particularly their dietary habits. In the present study, we aimed to examine whether or not bioelectrical impedance-derived body composition parameters and dietary habits were affected during the pandemic-associated lockdown in postmenopausal Spanish women. (2) Methods: Sixty-six women participated in the study (58.7 ± 5.4 years) before (between July−October 2019) and after (August−October 2020) the lockdown, which occurred as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain. Body composition parameters were measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis while dietary intake of proteins, fat, carbohydrates, and energy was measured by a food frequency questionnaire. (3) Results Regarding body composition, no differences were observed in fat mass in % (mean increase 0.05 (2.74); p = 0.567), fat mass in kg (mean increase −0.07 (4.137); p = 0.356) or lean mass in kg (mean increase 0.20 (1.424); p = 0.636). Similarly, no statistically significant differences were observed between the two study periods for any of the nutrients studied, nor for energy intake (p > 0.05 in all cases). (4) Conclusions: After comprehensively assessing body composition and dietary intake of protein, fat, carbohydrates, and energy before and after COVID-19 lockdown in healthy adult women in Spain no changes in the parameters studied were observed during the period analyzed in the women examined.
Skin cancer is one of the common malignancies. There is sufficient evidence that sunlight (ultraviolet radiation) contributes to the development of skin cancer, but there is also evidence that ...relates adequate serum levels of vitamin D produced on the skin by the action of ultraviolet radiation with the decreased risk of various types of cancers, including skin cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of vitamin D serum levels among patients with non-melanoma skin cancers (basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma) and controls.
A prospective observational case-control study was conducted in a sample of 84 subjects in Extremadura (Spain). Forty-one patients with histologically diagnosed basal cell carcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas and 43 healthy controls were randomly chosen to assess whether vitamin D (25(OH)D
) serum level, age and sex were related to non-melanoma skin cancer and to determine the possible risk of this type of skin cancer for these variables.
When analysing serum vitamin D levels, we ensured that all our subjects, both cases and controls, had normal or low serum vitamin D levels, even though the samples were taken during months with the highest solar irradiance in our region. It is striking in our results that there was a higher percentage of subjects with deficits of vitamin D who did not have skin cancer (66%) than patients with deficits with these types of skin cancers (34%). When adjusting the model for age and sex, vitamin D values above 18 ng/ml increased the risk of suffering from non-melanoma skin cancer by nearly 7-fold (aOR: 6.94, 95% CI 1.55-31.11,
= 0.01).
Despite the controversial data obtained in the literature, our results suggest that lower levels of vitamin D may be related to a reduced incidence of non-melanoma skin cancer.
IntroductionCardio‐ankle vascular index (CAVI) is a new marker of arterial stiffness (AS) that can assess vascular wall stiffness in the aorta, femoral artery and tibial artery. CAVI is less affected ...by blood pressure at the time of measurement than the gold standard method (carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV)). Our group has developed a device called VOPITB (Velocidad Onda de Pulso Índice Tobillo Brazo) that uses the oscillometric method and easily and accurately measures the PWV in the arms and legs separately, allowing new AS indices to be studied. This article describes the research protocol to determine CAVI using VOPITB and to validate the device against a reference device (VaSera VS-1500) and assess its clinical utility.Methods and analysesA cross-sectional, descriptive and observational study will be conducted. In all, 120 subjects (a minimum of 40% of subjects from any one gender) will be evaluated. CAVI will be determined from the measurement by VOPITB and VaSera VS-1500. For each subject, the average of the three readings taken with each device will be calculated. The Bland-Altman plot will be used to determine whether any bias exists in the data—that is, a tendency of the size of the difference to vary with the mean. The participants will be divided roughly equally between the following age bands: <30, 30–60 and >60 years.Ethics and disseminationThe study has been approved by the ethics committee of the Hospital San Pedro de Alcántara, Cáceres, Spain. The participants will be required to sign an informed consent form before inclusion in the study, in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and WHO standards for observational studies. The dissemination plan of the research study results will be through presentations in relevant national and international conferences and scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals.Trial registration numberNCT04303546.
The aim of the study is to determine the influence of the type of bracket, on bond strength, microhardness and conversion degree (CD) of four resin orthodontic cements. Micro-tensile bond strength ...(µTBS) test between the bracket base and the cement was carried out on glass-hour-shaped specimens (n=20). Vickers Hardness Number (VHN) and micro-Raman spectra were recorded in situ under the bracket base. Weibull distribution, ANOVA and non-parametric test were applied for data analysis (p<0.05). The highest values of ή as well as the β Weibull parameter were obtained for metallic brackets with Transbond™ plastic brackets with the self-curing cement showing the worst performance. The CD was from 80% to 62.5%.
Dyslalia or sound speech disorder is the most common speech production difficulty among school children. This epidemiological study aims to know the prevalence of SSD in school children and to ...analyze the relationship between articulatory disorders and bad oral habits, age, gender and socioeconomic situation. Two hundred and ninety children between 4 and 7 years old were evaluated by means of the Marc Monfort Test, a myofunctional test, and a questionnaire was applied to families. The results show that 51.4% of the schoolchildren present SSD. The most frequent type of error is distortion followed by substitution. Multiple dyslalia is more frequent than simple dyslalia. The relation of dependence between phonetic alterations and masculine gender is observed, as well as a decrease of articulation disorders as age increases and a significant relation between bad oral habits and the presence of dyslalia.
Exposure to sunlight is the major source of vitamin D and the main environmental cause of non-melanocytic skin cancers. Vitamin D, partly mediated through the vitamin D receptor (VDR), has potential ...therapeutic applications in skin cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of
and
VDR polymorphisms among patients with non-melanoma cancers and controls. An observational case-control study was conducted in a sample of 154 subjects. We observed no significant effects between these polymorphisms and skin cancer risk. When stratified for gender, GG and AG
polymorphisms significantly increased the risk of basal cell carcinomas in males. In relation to
, all three polymorphisms significantly increased the risk of basal cell carcinoma in males. When stratified for age, we found that being 70 years of age or younger was a protective factor against both skin cancers. Being a female and 70 years old or younger was a protective factor for basal cell carcinoma. A comparison of the frequencies of the VDR genotypes in patients older than 70 years vs. 70 years or younger also revealed age-dependent variations in patients with non-melanoma skin cancer. Our study suggests a role for VDR polymorphisms in non-melanoma skin cancer development.
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